The New England Patriots are no longer interested in pursuing a possible trade for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter noted that the Patriots are excited about their young receivers and want to focus on them.
The Patriots and Browns reportedly had deals in place with the 49ers that San Francisco general manager John Lynch deemed acceptable. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area said that Aiyuk did not show interest in going to New England, however. Aiyuk is not keen on going to Cleveland, either.
“If Aiyuk doesn’t like the destination, he does not have to engage that particular team,” Schefter said. “(The Patriots) weren’t getting a good vibe here as they tried to conduct communication with Brandon Aiyuk and his agent. And the longer it went on, the worse they felt about it. And eventually they said, ‘What are we doing here? Let’s just focus in on the young receivers that we have.’ … He didn’t seem overly receptive to (the contract).”
The Steelers, a place where Aiyuk would like to play, re-engaged in conversations mid-day on Tuesday regarding Aiyuk, per Schefter. As of Monday night, the 49ers-Steelers talks stalled. But there have been further conversations on Tuesday in an ever-fluid situation that still involves other teams as well.
NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that “there’s a lot of back and forth” between the Steelers and 49ers on a possible trade for Aiyuk.
49ers insider Matt Maiocco also added, “The fact the Steelers are back in talks with the 49ers toward a possible Brandon Aiyuk trade shows all sides have a willingness to get something done. The negotiations and conversations continue…”
A trade for Aiyuk is a tricky situation, as the demands from both Aiyuk and the Niners are significantly high. Aiyuk is seeking to become one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, around $30 million per year. And the 49ers want major draft capital, probably at least a first round pick.
The Steelers have been interested in trading for Aiyuk since early this offseason, and the two sides were in significant contact around the 2024 NFL Draft, before which the Steelers restructured the contract of outside linebacker Alex Highsmith in order to have the cap space necessary to make a move. At that point, the 49ers did not want to trade Aiyuk, and preferred to make a deal for fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel. That trade fell through, with the Steelers saying no to the Niners’ asking price, a league source confirmed to SN, and as has been reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Since then, the conversation has been nearly silent, and a team source told Steelers Now at the beginning of training camp than an Aiyuk deal seemed “unrealistic.” General manager Omar Khan said that the wide receiver trade market was dry during his camp-opening press conference.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting for this story.